


Gauche

by humanveil



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Flirting, Dialogue Heavy, First Kiss, Hannibal is Not a Cannibal, Hannibal is a mother hen, M/M, School Dances, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanveil/pseuds/humanveil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will risks a look to his right and, sure enough, Hannibal fucking Lecter is standing next to him, eerily calm and impeccably dressed as ever. All colour drains from Will’s face as he realises he’s just unintentionally asked the guy he might be crushing on out to what is likely to be considered a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gauche

**Author's Note:**

> [Based around this otpprompt.](http://snaxo.tumblr.com/post/133845714647)  
>     
> 

Will fiddles with the latch to his locker, quickly entering the four digit number before discarding the flyer for the school’s annual dance and emptying some of the contents of his bag.

He’d started to see the flyers about a week ago, the same time of year as usual, and he’d paid them no attention - in his opinion, it didn’t need any. He feels like he’s the only one who _isn’t_ chattering excitedly over the bloody dance, the only one who isn’t whispering with their friends about who will bring whom.

He doesn’t care, and despite his ability to empathise with others, he can’t understand why everyone else does. The event is a mere excuse for the students to dress up in ridiculously expansive outfits, attempt to spike the punch, and, Will guesses, end up in compromising positions with other students.

He has absolutely no intention of going.

He’s just finished putting his textbooks away when he hears someone say hi to him. Surprised, he turns and spots the girl he sits next to in his English class; Molly, if he’s correct.

“Hello,” he says, eyes meeting hers for a split second before looking to the left of her face. He thinks he knows why she’s here, but, for both their sakes, he hopes he’s wrong.

“I, um, was just wondering…” she starts, awkwardly playing with her hands while she tries to catch his eye. “If-if you want to come to the dance with me?” It’s said so quickly it sounds like a single, incomprehensible word.

Will understands it, though, but he _really_ wishes he hadn’t. He doesn’t have any negative feelings towards Molly – she’s actually one of the nicer students, and Will does genuinely get along with her, but he _really_ doesn’t want to go. He doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, though, which makes it so much harder to say no.

“I, um,” he stumbles; he doesn’t want to lie to Molly, but he thinks that telling her he planned on spending the night with his neighbour’s dogs would be a bit more harmful than if he were to make up an excuse. “I can’t,” he says eventually, hand rubbing awkwardly at his neck. “I’d love to, really, but I can’t.”

“Oh,” she mumbles, crestfallen. “Why not?”

Will doesn’t understand why _I can’t_ or _I don’t want to_ aren’t valid excuses for getting out of social situations; it would make everything _so_ much easier.

“The reason I can’t go with you is, ah, because, um,” Will fumbles with his words, unsure of what he should say. He spots a body coming towards him and without much thought – because he _knows_ his actions are going to be a colossal fuck up – he reaches a hand out, grabs hold of the passerby, and pulls them so they’re standing next to him. He doesn’t look at who it is, doesn’t want to face his own stupidity, and continues talking. “The reason I can’t go with you is because we’re going together,” he says too quickly, his hand gripping the fabric of the passerby’s jacket like a lifeline.

He can feel bile rising in his throat.

Molly stares, shock creeping onto her face as her eyes flash between Will and the passerby. “You two?”

Will rubs his free hand over his face and closes his eyes for a second, attempting to calm himself down. He can’t believe he’s doing this.

“Yeah,” he says, nodding. His eyes are looking away from both of them; he still doesn’t know who he’s standing next to, but he’s pretty sure it’s a male. Which was good, because he definitely had no intentions of going with a female.

“I don’t mean to be rude; it’s just, you know, you two aren’t exactly…” Molly fumbles, and Will’s beginning to think he’s made the wrong decision with whoever he’s grabbed. “ _Seriously_ , you two?”

Will hears the person next to him sigh, their annoyance evident. “Yes, _us two_ ,” a smooth accented voice replies, and Will recognises it instantly. “I’m sure William and I will have a splendid evening.”

Will risks a look to his right and, sure enough, Hannibal fucking Lecter is standing next to him, eerily calm and impeccably dressed as ever. All colour drains from Will’s face as he realises he’s just unintentionally asked the guy he _might_ be crushing on out to what is likely to be considered a date.

Colossal fuck up, indeed.

He turns back to Molly who just nods awkwardly. “Right,” she says, turning away, “I guess I’ll just go then.”

Will smiles apologetically but waits until she’s turned into another corridor before releasing his grip on Hannibal’s jacket, sighing as he leans against the row of lockers. There’s a million thoughts running through his head but all he can say is, “Don’t call me William.”

“As you wish,” Hannibal says, turning towards him, a small amused smile gracing his features. “Were you planning on asking me directly, or is this your way of tricking me into saying yes?”

Will groans, head banging against the locker softly.

“ _This_ is my way of getting out of a date,” Will mumbles. He wants the floor to open wide and swallow him whole, or for a time machine to exist so he can go back to that morning and stop himself from getting out of bed. “I’m sorry,” he says, sighing again. “I wasn’t thinking, I’ll come up with a better excuse. We won’t have to go.”

“I don’t mind,” the other boy replies. “I do wish you hadn’t crinkled my jacket, though.”

Will blushes and looks away from him. “Sorry,” he repeats.

Hannibal waves his hand dismissively and opens his mouth to say something, but whatever it was gets drowned out by the school bell. Will sees him shoot an annoyed look at the roof and sigh. “I’m going to wait for you after school,” he states in a no-nonsense voice. “We’ll talk then.”

Will groans again as he watches Hannibal leave. Of _all_ the people he could have grabbed, it just _had_ to be _him_. He knows why Molly was surprised; he and Hannibal barely knew each other. They’d been partnered together for a chemistry project months ago, but had hardly spoken more than five words that weren’t related to their conjoined paper and experiment. Not that Hannibal hadn’t tried to initiate conversation, it had just never gone anywhere; Will would give one word responses to any of Hannibal’s questions and then ask about their paper.

He’s not even sure whyhe likes Hannibal – or, at least, why he _thinks_ he likes Hannibal. The other boy was more or less everything he’s grown up hating; rich, entitled, socially adequate. There were numerous other kids in the school with the same qualities and Will hated them all. He supposes it’s because, despite their differences, Hannibal had never looked down at him like the others did, had never treated him with anything less than respect.

Shaking his head, Will just shuts his locker and heads to his next class, telling himself he’ll figure everything out later.

**xxx**

Will honestly didn’t think people would find out about it. Molly didn’t seem like the type to gossip, yet by the time lunch rolled around and he found his kind-of-friends, they already seemed to know the details.

He was barely in his seat before they started bombarding him with questions.

“Lecter?” Beverly says, incredulous. “Hannibal fucking Lecter? The weird German guy?”

“He’s Lithuanian,” Will corrects, but he doesn’t think she hears him.

“Are you serio—“

“Bev, please,” Jimmy cuts her off, “Don’t be jealous.”

“Yeah,” Brian laughs, slinging an arm around Will’s shoulders. “Quite a catch, my man. I’d go there too.”

Will laughs a little as he sees Jimmy slap his boyfriend atop the head playfully, giving him a pointed look. Brian’s arm moves from his shoulder to Jimmy’s waist, a quiet _sorry, baby_ leaving his lips before he all but cuddled with the other teenager.

“Were you going to tell us?” Alana asks calmly, and Will’s glad for her presence.

“It’s not—we’re not,” he sighs, running a hand through his curls. “I just said it to get out of going with someone else. I didn’t think it would get out.”

“Oh, it got out,” Jimmy told him, grinning.

“Half the school knows,” Beverly adds.

“Wonderful,” Will deadpans. “That’s exactly what I wanted; Hannibal will want to go now, if only to keep up appearances.”

“Aw, c’mon, Will,” Brian mumbles. “It’ll be fun.”

“For you.”

“And,” Jimmy chimes, “I’m sure the two of you will look wonderful all dressed up. You should colour coordinate, or get matching suits—“

“Not black and white, though, that’s our plan,” Brian interrupts, finally sitting up properly and eating his lunch.

Will swallows dryly, he doesn’t own a suit, has no money to get one, either; it’s part of the reason he hadn’t wanted to go. “Can we just drop it,” he begs, “Please?”

The four of them either nod or shrug and start talking about how some cheerleader who just broke up with her boyfriend is bringing a girl as a date. Will sighs, zones out, and tries to think of a way to fix his mistakes.

**xxx**

Will takes barely two steps out of the school building before Hannibal’s at his side, hand resting gently against his shoulder as he steers him in the direction of his car.

“This seems to have escalated,” he states, but he doesn’t sound angry. Will thinks he almost sounds amused.

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t thi—“

“Will,” Hannibal says, letting his hand drop at they reach the student car park. “Stop apologising.”

“Sorry,” Will mumbles before he can stop himself. He sees Hannibal look at him oddly, but ignores it. “Why are we here?”

“I’m going to drive you home.”

“You don’t ha—“

“It is freezing, and you don’t have a jacket, Will.”

They stop in front of a sleek, black car, and although Will doesn’t know much about automobiles, he knows it’s probably the most expensive one in the parking lot – both teacher and student. Hannibal opens the passenger door and Will just looks at him for a moment, sighs, and then gets in, placing his school bag at his feet before putting his seatbelt on.

Smiling to himself, Hannibal shuts the door and moves around to the driver’s seat, placing his own bag in the back before getting in and putting his own belt on. There’s a GPS resting against the dashboard and he grabs it, nodding in satisfaction when Will supplies his address without any prompting.

“Do you usually walk?” he asks, because the address is on the whole other side of town – the side that’s considered to be the bad part of town, he knows, but he won’t mention it – and he’s never seen Will get a bus or a lift with another student.

“Yeah,” Will replies awkwardly, “It’s good exercise.”

“Don’t you get cold?”

Will shrugs, “I don’t mind. Summer’s worse.”

“I could drive you,” Hannibal offers, pulling out of the car park.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Will assures him.

Hannibal looks to him from the corner of his eye, “Your decision.”

The car falls silent for a while; Will’s eyes watching the cars drive past them. He knows they need to talk, though, and eventually breaks the semi-awkward silence. “Yeah, so, um…”

“You’ve caused quite the situation,” Hannibal says, knowing that’s the direction the conversation needs to go in.

“I know,” Will sighs, long and loud, as he rests his head against the seat. “I wasn’t thinking, I just—I don’t know.”

“You’re not very good at social situations, are you?”

“Not really, no.”

“You realise we have to go.”

“No we don’t.”

“Yes, we do,” Hannibal says, following the instructions of his GPS. “I know you didn’t want to go, neither did I, but now we have to.”

“I don’t have anything to wear,” Will finally mumbles, looking away from Hannibal.

“I’ll get you something.”

“No,” Will says instantly. He’d always hated taking things from other people; he wasn’t a charity case. He could get by just fine on his own.  

“My intention isn’t to offend you,” Hannibal assures him. “You started it, and I don’t plan on letting you make me look ridiculous.”

“I’m not going to make you look ridiculous,” Will exclaimed angrily. “Just because I don’t ha—“

“I apologise, that was ruder than I anticipated,” Hannibal amended, quickly looking in Will’s direction. The younger boy had his arms crossed against his chest; the heat was on in the car but he still looked cold.

“Don’t you have anything warmer?”

Blushing, Will quietly responds, “Yes.”

“Why aren’t you wearing it?”

“I walk my neighbours’ dogs and they got mud all over it,” Will explains, embarrassed. He’s only got one good jacket that fits him, he’d grown out of everything else a few months ago. “I washed it, but we don’t have a dryer so it’s still wet.”

“And will most likely remain wet for another day in this weather.”

“Probably.”

Hannibal sighs and turns to Will as he finally parks outside the Graham residence; the house was almost worse than he expected, but he knew better than to mention anything. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he quickly unzips his jacket and pulls it off, handing it to Will and ignoring the other boy’s protests.

“Take it,” he says quietly. “Please. I don’t want my date to sniffle the whole night.”

Will stares at Hannibal for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh and taking the jacket. It’s plain and black, but Will can tell it’s of good quality.

Hannibal nods, pleased. “It’ll be big on you, but warm.”

“Thank you.”

“If it bothers you, you can give it back with the suit.”

“Don’t get me a suit.”

“I’m getting you a suit.”

“ _Hannibal.”_

Hannibal chuckles, “I can pick you up in the morning if you like, the weather will likely get worse.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Will says, opening his door. “Thank you,” he repeats.

Hannibal nods, watching as Will leaves the car and jogs to his front door. He waits in his car for the other boy to disappear into the house before pulling away.

**xxx**

Will has every intention of returning the jacket the next day, but the early morning wind picks up as he starts the walk to school and within a few minutes he’s forced to make a decision between freezing or stopping and putting the jacket on.

He goes for the latter.

Hannibal was right; the jacket is big on him, not ridiculously so, but big. It’s also warm though, and smells of nice washing detergent and something that Will has to guess is entirely Hannibal, so he zips it up and keeps it on.

He tells himself he’ll take it off when he’s inside and away from the wind.

Hannibal appears seemingly out of nowhere not five minutes after he gets to school, and Will sighs. “Are you following me now?”

“You’re wearing the jacket.”

“Nice observation skills, Lecter.”

“It looks good on you.”

A light pink blush spreads across his cheeks and down his neck, and Will coughs awkwardly, hoping Hannibal doesn’t notice. “What do you want?”

“Sit with me at lunch today.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re such a charming person to be around,” Hannibal deadpans.  “We need to sort some things out.”

“Can’t we do it now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“There isn’t enough time.”

“Sure there is.”

“We have five minutes before class starts.”

Will sighs, stopping at his locker and turning towards Hannibal, “Fine, I’ll see you then.”

“Make sure to keep the jacket on.”

Will’s laughs softly and lowers his voice. “Why,” he says, leaning towards Hannibal and looking up at him through his eyelashes, “Is it turning you on?”

He’d intended it as a joke, but the way Hannibal smirks at him after he says it makes Will think that the other boy actually _does_ find it attractive. He straightens, suddenly feeling awkward, and hopes Hannibal doesn’t notice his blush deepen.

“I’ll see you later, Will,” Hannibal murmurs, his smirk never leaving his face as he walks away.

**xxx**

The day only gets colder and when Will meets Hannibal for lunch, the other boy’s jacket is still wrapped securely around his thin form. He ignores Hannibal’s smug look and the kissy faces Brian and Jimmy make at him when they walk by, choosing to sit quietly across from the Lithuanian.

“Your friends are interesting,” Hannibal comments once they disappear.

“Ignore them, they’re idiots,” Will mumbles, avoiding eye contact. “What did you want to talk about?”

Will watches as Hannibal pulls two containers containing food out of his bag, wordlessly passing one over to Will. Usually, he’d reject the offer, but they’d run out of food at home and he’s hungry. Not to mention whatever Hannibal’s brought smells delicious.

Hannibal passes him a fork and Will mutters a quiet thanks before opening the container, smiling when steam rises up from the pasta. “How’d you heat it up?”

“I have my secrets,” Hannibal responds, pleased when Will starts eating it. “What time should I pick you up on Saturday?”

Will swallows his mouthful of food before replying, “It starts at six, doesn’t it? Maybe come at five so there’s enough time for me to get ready?”

Hannibal hums his agreement, “I’ve already picked out your suit.”

“You’re going to make me wear yellow or something, aren’t you?”

Hannibal smiles, shaking his head, “No, no, your outfit is rather classy.”

“As long we’re not wearing black and white,” he replies. “Dumb and dumber will kill me.”

“Dumb and dumber?”

Will points in the direction behind him, “Brian and Jimmy. They’re a little too excited about the whole thing.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“What do our outfits look like?”

“You’ll see.”

“What if I don’t like it?”

“Too bad,” Hannibal replies. “Finish your lunch, you’re too thin.”

Will rolls his eyes by continues to eat, enjoying Hannibal’s company while he’s got it.

He’s not exactly surprised when Hannibal finds him after school and leads him to his car once again, he just isn’t entirely sure why the other boy is always so nice to him. He can’t imagine anyone else of his status voluntarily entering his neighbourhood just to make sure he doesn’t get cold.

**xxx**

The rest of the week flies by quickly, nothing too abnormal occurring and, soon enough, it’s Saturday afternoon and Hannibal is standing outside Will’s house, garment bag in hand. Knocking, he waits patiently as he listens to the other boy’s footsteps move closer to the door.

He’s not expecting for Will to laugh at him the second he gets the door open.

“What?” he asks when Will’s laugh quiets.

“You have [a pale purple suit](http://www.marsay.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_suit_gallery/public/6.%20Purple%20suit_0.jpg) on.”

“So?”

Will stares at him for a minute before giggling again, “And you said _I_ would make you look ridiculous. Seems like you did that all on your own.”

Hannibal rolls his eyes, “Are you going to let me in?”

“Sure thing, Liberace,” he jokes, stepping out of the way so Hannibal can come inside. “My room’s upstairs, no one else is home.”

If Will’s honest, the suit actually looks good on Hannibal. It’s obviously tailored, the pale purple blazer showing off his waist in the right way. He’s got a white shirt with dark purple buttons underneath, matching the white buttons of the blazer, and although there’s no neck tie, Will spots a white pocket square peeking out from his breast pocket. Hannibal’s topped it off by slicking his dirty blond hair back and pairing the suit with white, obviously expansive shoes.

“Tell me I’m not wearing pale green,” Will says as they walk into his room. “I don’t think I could pull it off.”

“You’re not wearing pale green,” Hannibal assures him, handing over the garment bag. “I had to guess your measurements, as I didn’t think you’d agree to getting a tailored suit—“

“I wouldn’t’ve.”

“—So I hope it fits okay.”

Will nods and leaves Hannibal in his room while he goes to the bathroom to dress. He’d shaved and slicked his curls back in a futile attempt to tame them just before Hannibal had got there, so the suit was all he needed before he was ready.

He hates himself for it, but Will can’t help but feel a little excited.

Taking a deep breath, he undoes the zipper of the garment bag, sighing in relief when he catches sight of [a midnight blue suit](http://image.thefashionisto.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Hugh-Dancy-Essential-Homme-February-March-2015-Cover-Photo-Shoot-003-800x943.jpg). He’s honestly been worried about Hannibal’s choices.

He hangs the pants and blazer up, placing the matching midnight blue tie on top of them and pulls out the dress shirt; smiling when he sees it’s a lighter shade of blue with a denim look to it. He undresses quickly and redresses carefully, making sure not to create any creases in the ironed outfit. Hannibal had passed him a black leather belt and matching shoes, so he quickly put those on, too, before looking in the mirror.

Whatever guess Hannibal made with his measurements were almost spot on, and Will smiles at his reflection. He doesn’t remember ever looking this good.

He sprays himself with his aftershave one more time, folds the clothes he’d been wearing and returns to his room, happy when Hannibal stares at him for a too-long moment.

“You look…” the other boy starts but doesn’t finish.

“Better than you,” Will jokes, unable to keep the smile off his face.

“It fits better than I thought it would.”

“Mmm, it feels nice.”

Hannibal smiles at him, eyes sweeping over the outfit again. “Do you know how to properly tie a tie?”

Will looks down at it and shrugs, “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s too loose.”

“It looks fine.”

“Let me do it,” Hannibal murmurs, pushing Will to stand in front of his bedroom mirror.

Will goes obediently, flushing lightly when Hannibal stands directly behind him. “You don’t have a tie, why do I?”

“My suit doesn’t need one, yours does.”

“But—“

“Shh,” Hannibal smiles, hands moving to redo Will’s tie so it looks better, more classy. “See, that’s better,” he whispers, lips hovering over Will’s ear.

A blush spreads down Will’s neck and he looks everywhere but at Hannibal, “Thanks.”

Will looks in the mirror one last time, appreciating the contrast of their outfits; Hannibal actually looks better when they stand next to each other.

“We should get going,” Will says, looking around to make sure he has everything. “This is the first time I’ve gone to a big social event since I moved here; Beverly’s going to want photographic evidence.”

Hannibal smiles, “Lead the way.”

**xxx**

Hannibal opens the passenger door for Will when they arrive; offering him his arm and shutting the door once Will steps out. He feels a little anxious and even more awkward – social gatherings have never been his forte – but Hannibal looks right at home, and the more he holds on to the other boy’s arm, the more he calms down.

People stare a little when they spot them, probably because they’re used to seeing Will in ill-fitting flannel, or maybe because of Hannibal’s suit, but Will does a pretty good job of ignoring them for the most part. He spots Molly, dressed in a long red dressed and heels, laughing with her date, and smiles, glad when she smiles back at him.

Just as he’d expected, Beverly has her phone out not ten seconds after spotting him, finger pressing against the capture button quicker than Will thought possible.

“Stop it,” he calls out when he’s close enough, but she didn’t listen. Instead, she passes her phone to Jimmy and yanks him closer to her, winking at Hannibal as she does so.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Will outside of school. I want photographic evidence, Price,” she says, laughing. “Take as many as you can.”

Will sends Hannibal a pained look before obediently smiling for a photo, glad when Jimmy hands her phone back.

“You look good, pretty boy,” she states, motioning to the suit before turning to Hannibal. “You pick that out?”

“I did.”

“Nice work, Lecter,” Brian chimes before turning to Jimmy, “We should let him do our wedding.”

“Please tell me Jimmy didn’t propose,” came Alana’s voice as she joined the group, her date behind her. Will had never spoken a word to Margot Verger in his life, but Alana always spoke highly of her, so Will just accepted it. Besides, they look beautiful together.

“Not yet,” Jimmy replies. “Give it a few years.”

Alana turns to Will, leaning in to kiss his cheek before turning to Hannibal, “You two look nice, better than the penguins.”

“Thanks, so do you,” Will replies awkwardly, not used to people complimenting him so much.

Brian puts a hand over his heart, as if hurt, “We don’t look like _penguins_.”

“Don’t worry, darling,” Jimmy murmurs, taking Brian’s hand in his. “Penguins mate for life.”

“Oh, here we go,” Bevery cuts in. “Let’s go inside before dumb and dumber get all sappy, shall we?”

The group agrees and heads inside, Hannibal wrapping one arm around Will’s waist.

“Interesting friends, indeed,” he murmurs quietly. “Not what I’d expect from you.”

Will’s laugh is breathy, his senses hyper aware due to Hannibal’s proximity. “I don’t know how I got stuck with them.”

They walk into the open hall and Will’s eyes are instantly assaulted with an overwhelming amount of silver around the room. There are silver balloons littering the room, clear ones filled with glitter accompanying them every now and then. There’s a large dance floor set up, a cliché looking disco ball hanging in its centre, and rows of tables filled with cheap food for the students to sit at. Each table has a black covering with an obnoxious looking silver centrepiece that reminds Will of his cutlery draw at home.

“I wasn’t aware the theme was stainless steel,” Hannibal says quietly, his mouth turned up in a smile as he speaks close to Will’s ear so he can be heard over the loud music already playing.

Will laughs again, face turning into Hannibal’s body, almost as if he’s trying to hide. “You can say that again.”

There are plenty of students already in the hall, even more spilling through the door. Will’s eyes trail through the crowd, noticing both boys and girls who’ve put a little _too_ much effort into the evening.

People come up and say hello every now and then, and Will mostly hides behind Hannibal, watching as he carries a conversation for a few minutes with everyone that approaches him.

“So, do you know the _entire_ school?” he can’t help but ask after what feels like the fiftieth person says hello to them.

Hannibal smiles at him, shaking his head. “It’s good to have acquaintances in all social groups.”

“Is that what I am to you?”

Brow furrowing, Hannibal stays quiet for a moment before placing his hand on the small of Will’s back, bringing the other boy’s body closer to his. “Not at all,” he murmurs, and Will can feel his fingers tracing a circular pattern onto his back. “I find you far too interesting for us to be mere acquaintances.”

“Oh,” Will sighs, holding his bottom lip between his teeth. “Good.”

**xxx**

Will makes his way to the table Jimmy and Brian are sitting at, Beverly standing behind them. Someone Will didn’t know had come up and asked Hannibal to dance, and he’d been too polite to decline, so Will went to find something to eat.

“You and lover boy are getting cosy,” Brian says as he approached the table, pushing a plate of chips in Will’s direction.

“Next you’ll be groping each other in a dark corner like these two,” Beverly adds, laughing when Will blushed and sat down.

“It’s not like _that._ ”

“The last time we saw you smile this much was when your neighbour got a French bulldog,” Jimmy says, head tilted back while he dropped lollies in his mouth.

“It’s still not like that.”

“Mmmhm, give it time.”

Realising how uncomfortable the topic makes Will, Beverly takes pity on him and changes the subject, “Lecter’s outfit’s interesting.”

“I wish I could pull that colour off,” Jimmy mutters.

Brian snorts, “You’d look like a marshmallow.”

Jimmy turns to face his boyfriend, “You’re supposed to be supportive.”

“I thought I was supposed to be honest?”

“I think you’re supposed to be both,” Will tells them.

“How am I supposed to be honest _and_ supportive?”

Will shakes his head, looking out towards the crowd of dancing students. He spots Hannibal easily, the light colour making him stick out amongst his peers. There’s a respectable distance between him and the girl he’s dancing with, and Will find’s he’s glad, despite feeling like he has no reason to be. It’s not like it’s an actual date, or anything.

At least he doesn’t think it is.

Hannibal looks in his direction and smiles, maintaining eye contact until the song finishes.

**xxx**

“What will it take for you to dance with me, Will?” Hannibal asks when he comes over to the table, voice low so only Will can hear him.

“More than a free suit.”

Hannibal laughs watching as Will consumes the table food.

“You don’t eat this stuff, do you?”

“I’m rather careful about what I put in my body, I don’t like packaged foods.”

Will shrugs, tongue running across his lips. “I just eat what I can get.”

He’d intended it as a joke, but Hannibal just sighs, his arm wrapping around Will’s waist again, “You should let me feed you. It would make me feel better.”

“Is this some kind of kink?”

Smirking, Hannibal replies, “One of the many.”

Hannibal sees Will’s throat move as he swallows and grabs hold of his hand. “Please dance with me.”

Will looks down at their intertwined hands, eyes wide, “I’m not any good.”

“A slow song is coming on,” Hannibal responds, tugging him in the direction of the dance floor. “All you have to do is sway.”

Will groans but lets Hannibal drag him into the crowd of students, biting his bottom lip as Hannibal pulls him flush against his body, arms wrapping around his waist. A soft, slow song fills the room, and Hannibal leans down to whisper “Put your arms around my neck.”

Reluctantly, Will does, eyes scanning the crowd to see if anyone’s paying attention to them. He spots Beverly looking with a smirk on her face, her camera out, but no one else seems to be looking, too busy with their own partner or friend.

“See, this isn’t so bad,” Hannibal continues to whisper. “Don’t worry about anyone else and just focus on me.”

“Easier said than done,” he replies, unable to forget about the other students.

Hannibal reaches a hand up to gently adjust Will’s head, making it so the other boy was looking towards his chest rather than the people around them. “Better?”

Will closes his eyes, cheek resting against Hannibal’s chest, and nods, letting himself get lost in the embrace.

**xxx**

It’s almost midnight when Hannibal parks in his driveway, and Will finds he doesn’t want to get out of car.

“I don’t want to go,” he mumbles, face turned towards Hannibal where it rests against the car seat.

“I know how you feel,” Hannibal tells him. “Tonight was nice.”

“Mmm.”

“I’m glad your poor social skills got us into this mess.”

Will’s chest vibrates as he laughs, “Don’t ruin it now.”

Hannibal grins, “I think this is the part where you kiss me goodnight.”

“You’re dreaming, Lecter.”

“We’d be doing a lot more if I was dreaming.”

“I thought I told you not to ruin the mood,” Will mumbles, slightly embarrassed.

“I’m kidding,” Hannibal says, “Kind of.”

Will groans, “ _Hannibal.”_ The other boy laughs at his obvious discomfort, and Will feels like throwing something at him. “I’ll see you on Monday?”

“I’m bringing you lunch.”

“Of course you are.”

“And you’re keeping the suit.”

“No I’m not.”

“Mmm, do it as a favour to me. You look far too good in it to not wear it again.”

“Hannibal.”

“And the jacket. I like the way you look in my clothes.”

“But—“

“Goodnight, Will,” Hannibal talks over him, smirking. “Sweet dreams.”

“I’m seriously going to punch you one day.”

“I look forward to it.”

Will rubs a hand over his face, sighing. He locks eyes with Hannibal for a moment, noticing the way they darken in the car’s dim light. Neither of them say anything for a while, just stare at each other for a moment, and then, without warning, Will leans over the car console and presses his lips against Hannibal’s, his palm resting against the older boy’s cheek.

He pulls back not long after, a giddy smile taking over his face. “’Night, Lecter.”

Hannibal quickly places a hand on the back of Will’s neck and kisses him again, his tongue slipping in the other boy’s mouth. He smiles against Will’s mouth when the other boy moans, only pulling back when they’re both panting for air.

“Goodnight, mon cher.”

Will flashes him one last grin before leaving the car, all but running to his front door and unlocking it. He turns towards Hannibal and waves before disappearing into the house, letting the door shut behind him.

Hannibal waits until he sees Will’s bedroom light come on before turning the engine back on and driving away, unaware of the smile that remains on his face.

**_fin_ **

**Author's Note:**

> visual references: [hannibal's suit](http://www.marsay.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_suit_gallery/public/6.%20Purple%20suit_0.jpg), [will's suit](http://image.thefashionisto.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Hugh-Dancy-Essential-Homme-February-March-2015-Cover-Photo-Shoot-003-800x943.jpg)


End file.
